Since our first successful installation of a Little Free Pantry at the Irondale Church this summer, the Community Wellness Project has been eager to grow the LFP program in East Jefferson County.

The Chimacum Grange board, led by Dr. Diane Johnson, came forward as a host for the second pantry, a visible and accessible site. John Erickson of Port Townsend volunteered to build the unit.

“The Little Free Pantry movement is a simple offering we saw modeled at the Dove House in Port Townsend,” says CWP Board Member Abby Jorgensen. “It activates neighbors to support neighbors, as one solution to immediate and local need. Especially this year, with all of the added insecurity, we decided to pursue construction and installation of several pantries in other parts of the community. Food is moving through the pantries on a daily basis.”

Rick Smith of the Rotary Club of East Jefferson County has been holding a food drive at his Edward Jones office in Port Ludlow and organizing Rotary support for pantry stocking since August. CWP members and individual supporters like Sandra Boughner have also adopted pantries for a month at a time.

The Port Townsend Food Co-op is currently discussing positioning of a third pantry to be installed on store property soon.

Curious about hosting a Little Free Pantry at your business or home? Want to adopt one of the three pantries for a month? (This involves tidying and stocking on a daily basis.) We can help! Please reach out to us at this email address: pantry(at)jccwp.org. All organizations, businesses, and individuals are welcome to participate. Local residents are encouraged to drop donations of healthy, packaged foods to any of the pantries at any time. Take what you need, give what you can. Sanitize and wear a mask to keep the pantries safe for all users.